Foyah, Lofa County – The Town Chief of Worsonga Town in Foyah, Lofa County, Mr. Tamba Siaffa, has strongly reacted to media reports that the town lacks safe drinking water and toilets.
Worsonga is the hometown of Vice President Joseph Boakai. It was reported recently that the village does not have safe drinking water and toilet when a team of journalists reportedly visited the area during the celebration of World Press Freedom Day which was held in Lofa. Ironically, the vice president gave the keynote address at the program.
It was also reported that the road leading to the village is in a very deplorable condition. But a recent tour to the area has found that the road from Voinjama to Worsonga is far better than the one from Voinjama to Gbarnga, Bong County.
Chief Siaffa described the reports as “a lie from hell”, saying it was intended to damage the good reputation of residents of the town.
Speaking through an interpreter, Chief Siaffa said journalists who reportedly visited the town did not speak with him. He said he was taken by surprise as he said those who allegedly visited the town had different intent.
He said those reporting on Worsonga should stop attaching the name of Vice President Joseph Boakai, saying it is not a crime for Ambassador Boakai to hail from the area. He revealed that the VP visits the area regularly.
“I knew the Vice President since he was a young boy coming up. Nyumah was not living here in Worsonga—he was living Foyah going to School—he only used to come here during vacations or weekends,”’ he explained through an interpreter.
He disclosed that VP Boakai does not currently have a house in Worsonga, saying all of his houses are in Foyah.
The Town Chief further revealed a daughter of the vice president, identified only as Ma Lusu, lives in the town and has her home there as well.
Though she wasn’t home, the house believed to be owned by the daughter of the vice president is one of the modern structures in the village painted brown and has front and back terraces.
During the visit to Worsonga, it was observed that the town has four hand-pumps, with one of the pumps belonging to BIN officers residing in the town. There were over 12 solar panels seen in the town.
Mr. Saah Karsu, an elder who takes care of the pumps in the town described the media reports as a propaganda intended to spark confusion between the VP and residents of the town.
Mr. Karsu is an elder who maintains and manage the pumps in the town, residents who would want to fetch water from any of the pumps will have to go to elder Karsu’s house for the key because the pumps are normally locked.
Out of anger, he wonders why such reports would come out about the town when there are four pumps in the town.
“Where is the boy with the pump keys, I want to take you around and show you the pumps, and my wife will pump water out so you can see that we have safe pump water here,” he explained as he pumped the water in the bucket his wife had placed under it.
Going around the town, he showed latrines constructed by NGOs whose names he said he did not remember.
Another resident of the Town who is also teacher at the only Public school, Worsonga Public School, also frowned on the information about the town.
Mr. Abednego David wants journalists to do proper check before putting information in the public.
Mr. David said at the time journalists reportedly visited the town, he (David) was absent but was shocked when he heard reports of his town lacking water and toilet.
“We all were surprised to hear that. In your family, not everyone likes you, so when people come and take such report out in Monrovia, it is worrisome,” he noted.
He expressed frustration in the reports, describing it as politically intended to tarnish the name of the VP.
Worsonga is small town located in the Foyah district, Lofa County. It is the last town in that region closed to Sierra Leone.
The town comprises of about sixty (60) houses, two outside toilets, more than 12 solar panel lights. The town is more than 3 hours away from Voinjama and ten (10) minutes away from Foyah.